Selling paper wood vs selling firewood.

[Gordon Gould]

I get 200 per thousand on low grade logs that don’t meet the criteria for paper wood. I don’t have the option to sell unsplit for 100 a cord otherwise I’d probably do that.

To me it is the best way efficiency wise. Every one here has a chain saw, their problem is getting wood to cut and split. Many have wood furnaces. Most get the wood from loggers who will sell a 6 to 8 cord load of 16 footers delivered in a straight log truck with a loader. A one cord load of 10 footers in a small dump truck is a good option for people who have camps or just want wood for pleasure or when the power goes down.

gg

 

[MossRoad]

There's several tree trimming/arborist companies near us that charge, on average, about $600 to cut down an average tree and haul it off. They take the tree back to their business, and when they're not cutting trees down, they have their employee turning it into firewood. They're paying the laborer about $15.00 per hour, and they're cranking out about a cord per hour, which they sell for $150 delivered, or $100 per truckload if you pick it up and load yourself. Show up with a small truck, normal truck, or car hauler trailer, they don't care, $100.

 

[4570Man]

I’d like to hire that guy. I only expect about 1/3 cords an hour out of my help and that’s with me cutting it. If you’re cutting 24” long that might be be doable but pushing 3 face cord an hour through a 4 way is a lofty goal.

 

[HillStreet]

$22/ton is nothing. A 10 ton truckload for $220? You couldn't buy fuel for the truck for that. That's truck length logs, right?

I don't have any idea what I use as far as measured units. I cut and pile it, then cut and split as needed. I couldn't imagine cutting and splitting enough to sell at any type of profit when I added in costs of oil and gas to run the tools.

I pay $900 for log length, between 8 and 9 cords.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t think that would be a big success here. A cord of split firewood is only worth about $150.

 

[stuckmotor]

Is the term "paper wood" common in TN? I've don't remember hearing anything but "pulp wood" and TN and SC are very close. I'm pretty sure the term in Yazoo Mississippi is pulp wood too or Marcel Ledbetter would have never had a pulp wood truck.

 

[MossRoad]

I壇 like to hire that guy. I only expect about 1/3 cords an hour out of my help and thatç—´ with me cutting it. If youæ±*e cutting 24 long that might be be doable but pushing 3 face cord an hour through a 4 way is a lofty goal.

That's one of the reasons I never liked my in-laws purchasing wood from them.... it was a mix of 16-24" wood. No uniformity. Their wood stove is wide, so 24" is no problem for them. I would need 16" for mine. I don't recall the splitter they use.

There's another tree service a mile south that has a processor, and a conveyor to pile the splits up. Again, one guy splitting anytime they aren't on a tree job.

If you have someone always splitting when there's downtime, even if it's not a full cord an hour, even half a cord an hour, paying someone $15-$20 an hour to generate $75-$150 an hour is still a good use of his/her time.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's an aerial shot of that operation...

 

[4570Man]

Is the term "paper wood" common in TN? I've don't remember hearing anything but "pulp wood" and TN and SC are very close. I'm pretty sure the term in Yazoo Mississippi is pulp wood too or Marcel Ledbetter would have never had a pulp wood truck.

No most people call it pulp wood, but that’s what this mill calls it.

 

[stuckmotor]

No most people call it pulp wood, but that’s what this mill calls it.

4570Man,
Thanks. I guess that mill wants to be different.

 

[Jstpssng]

That's one of the reasons I never liked my in-laws purchasing wood from them.... it was a mix of 16-24" wood. No uniformity. Their wood stove is wide, so 24" is no problem for them. I would need 16" for mine. I don't recall the splitter they use.

There's another tree service a mile south that has a processor, and a conveyor to pile the splits up. Again, one guy splitting anytime they aren't on a tree job.

If you have someone always splitting when there's downtime, even if it's not a full cord an hour, even half a cord an hour, paying someone $15-$20 an hour to generate $75-$150 an hour is still a good use of his/her time.

It's also a way to keep a good man working rather than send him home because they don't have other work for him.

 

[LouNY]

Is the term "paper wood" common in TN? I've don't remember hearing anything but "pulp wood" and TN and SC are very close. I'm pretty sure the term in Yazoo Mississippi is pulp wood too or Marcel Ledbetter would have never had a pulp wood truck.

I'm surprised that no one else picked up on the Jerry Clower references, he was quite the character I really enjoyed his stories.

 

[TheMan419]

It's also a way to keep a good man working rather than send him home because they don't have other work for him.

Yep. They keep the guy working and make a few bucks. I suspect the profit from the fire wood is only part of the motive. If they don't process it into fire wood they need to get rid of the logs somehow.

When we had a large tree cut down and removed they cut it to lengths I estimated to be 2-4 feet long. Easier for them to handle to get in the trailer to haul away.

Now as I think of it easier to cut into fire wood once they get back to the yard.

But yes I am glad to see a business keeping their good help busy even during slow times. Good management practice right there.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep. They keep the guy working and make a few bucks. I suspect the profit from the fire wood is only part of the motive. If they don't process it into fire wood they need to get rid of the logs somehow.

When we had a large tree cut down and removed they cut it to lengths I estimated to be 2-4 feet long. Easier for them to handle to get in the trailer to haul away.

Now as I think of it easier to cut into fire wood once they get back to the yard.

But yes I am glad to see a business keeping their good help busy even during slow times. Good management practice right there.

Most of these tree services have 80 acre plots. Anything they don't use, they just pile up along the back and it rots into the ground. No overhead on that part.

The first one I mentioned has two businesses. He has the tree trimming and removal service/firewood business, and his wife runs a dog grooming business and boarding kennel in the front. They are not poor... :laughing:

The 2nd one with the firewood processor keeps investing in new equipment. Recently he got a tracked man-lift. Pretty nice machine.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I don稚 think that would be a big success here. A cord of split firewood is only worth about $150.

Charge 200 a cord, all hardwood plus delivery outside 15 miles. No pickup (insurance fiasco). Comes off the processor then gets stacked on racks to ensure customer gets 1 full cord

 

[crazyal]

Almost everything cut by tree services around here is chipped and either sold to a wood chip power plant or it's sold to make wood pellets. Normally they show up with a truck with a chipper in tow and as branches are cut off they go right into the chipper. I've heard (but can't confirm) some of them can chip a 24" diameter tree. I don't know how popular pellet stoves are down there but a number of companies have popped up that focus just on pellets. If it's a bad winter they will have trucks lined up. As the bagged pellets are put on a pallet they go right onto to a waiting customer's truck.

Off topic but If someone came up with a viable way to dry wood chips and design a wood stove that could feed them from a hopper like a pellet I would switch over in a heartbeat.

 

[MossRoad]

It would be hard to control the uniformity of the chips for an auto feeder, I'd think.

 

[4570Man]

Almost everything cut by tree services around here is chipped and either sold to a wood chip power plant or it's sold to make wood pellets. Normally they show up with a truck with a chipper in tow and as branches are cut off they go right into the chipper. I've heard (but can't confirm) some of them can chip a 24" diameter tree. I don't know how popular pellet stoves are down there but a number of companies have popped up that focus just on pellets. If it's a bad winter they will have trucks lined up. As the bagged pellets are put on a pallet they go right onto to a waiting customer's truck.

Off topic but If someone came up with a viable way to dry wood chips and design a wood stove that could feed them from a hopper like a pellet I would switch over in a heartbeat.

I’ve already thought of that and had most of the details worked out and can get free chips. Unfortunately I don’t have a way to implement such a system.

 

[MossRoad]

We only have one sawmill here that I know of, and a couple weeks ago, driving by it, my mother-in-law said there hasn't been a log in there for months. The yard is empty. I think it went out of business. Not lights, fork lift, logs, and no steam/smoke from the equipment. Bummer. There just isn't enough forest around here to support it anymore.

 

[stuckmotor]

I'm surprised that no one else picked up on the Jerry Clower references, he was quite the character I really enjoyed his stories.

Back in the 70's I had one of the great thrills of my life when an old raggedy pulp wood truck drove through town with lettering on the door saying "Marcels Pulpwood Company".